PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - My Favorite DC-3 / C-47 Story
View Single Post
Old 4th Mar 2008, 20:50
  #31 (permalink)  
Fantome
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: THE BLUEBIRD CAFE
Posts: 59
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
While waiting for Lobo to come back and regale us, here's one about an Adastra Aerial Survey Dak, (VH-AGU), operating on long, high, mapping runs in the Northern Territory, based at the time at Tennant Creek, circa 1970. I don't think John Messenger, the co-pilot, would mind this recounting of his tale, second hand. (It mightn't be exactly as he told me it thirty years ago, but the gist is true enough.)

The last run brought the Dak a mile or two from over the top of Tennant. As the camera went "off', JM got out of his seat and said to the skipper he was going back for a leak. Earlier JM, a sky-diver too, had secretly stowed his chute and reserve down the back. He strapped on his gear and with the camera operator's help opened the door and exited. The skipper had no idea. Just thought that JM was sitting down the back having a rest or chatting with the "camera", so he did the descent and landing unaided, no sweat. Taxying onto the tarmac, there, to his initial astonishment, was JM, leaning on the fence, ready with the wheel chocks, big cheeky grin on his face.

BTW, Jimmy Edwards autobiography covering his time in the RAF flying Daks, is called "Six of the Best". i.e. 1939-1945.
Fantome is offline